So, without further ado, I present to you our new little duo, Stevie and Graham:
Yep, we got not one, but two new little cats. They are little lovebugs, and we couldn't be happier.
Me playing with Stevie just after bringing them home...Graham watches, entranced.
The Munch wanted nothing else but to hold one of the kitties next to her. Stevie was happy to oblige for a bit, but then he had to keep exploring. It's gonna take the Munch a bit to remember that even new cats are their own creatures...
The 2 brothers, sharing a food bowl. You can see some distinct differences between them here, though admittedly, it's easier to spot the subtleties if you've had black cats before. ;)
A beautiful close-up of Graham/Nash. He was much more willing to look into the camera than Stevie was.
So, the Story:
You may remember that when Pan died, we made the decision that we would get one more cat to keep Choko company once we'd moved in and settled a little in the new house. Well, the move didn't happen until later than planned, and the settling, frankly, is still going on, although it's eased up somewhat now. At least I have some pictures hung at this point. :) So we decided today was the day we'd start our hunt, and we made our way over to a place called the Tree House. It's a no-kill cat shelter not too far off from our church's neighborhood, and we'd heard good things from a couple other people who'd adopted through them.
Daddy had his heart set on a grey tabby, and the Munch was endlessly talking about how much she wanted a white cat. Of course, I am and have been particularly partial to the black ones, but I promised Daddy that he would have the last say. And despite the pictures seeming to prove otherwise, I DID keep my promise! We both just wanted one, but after talking with a volunteer, we were willing to do two. The reasoning was sound--two kittens will keep each other occupied so the older cat isn't bothered as much and can (hopefully) appreciate them more--and really....have you ever known me to say no to another cat? I can...and have...but usually I gotta say yes! ;)
The volunteer took us up to the kitten room, and introduced us, per Daddy's desires, to a tabby brother pair named Heron and Stork. They were cute and sweet (what kitten isn't??), and Stork especially was quite playful. But they didn't have the 'please adopt ME!' look, and their playfulness was quickly shown up by another darling little tabby named Mega Man. Then a little black kitten named Stills got into the picture, and beat them all out with his playfulness. And both Daddy and I just melted on the spot. Stills and Mega Man--they were super-cute, super-playful, just what we were looking for. But they weren't a sibling pair, and it showed in the way they played together--or rather, didn't play together. We also learned that while Stills had been fostered in a home with other pets and small kids, Mega-Man had been on his own in his foster home. We would be a big adjustment for him. Then another volunteer told us that Stills had a brother named Nash (pop culture reference for anyone into the 60's rock and roll). But Nash was snoozing, and had been the entire time we were there...which was a considerable length of time by now. We weren't too sure we wanted a snoozy kitty, especially if it was snoozy as a kitten--Would it even move as an adult? ;) But the volunteer convinced Nash to come out of hiding, and then she found the magic toy...a laser pointer. INSTANT attention grabber. Stills and Nash went after that thing with complete abandonment. None of the other kittens even came close. We were sold, and took them home with us right away...or at least, as soon as the shelter cleared them and we paid the adoption fee. :)
After getting them situated in the front area of our house, I did a google search to find out who the guys were that our two new babies were named after. We liked the first names a lot, and decided to switch, keeping the reference since that's what they will continue to be known as at the Tree House if anything happens, but making it a little less noticeable--since we ourselves are not into that kind of music, it's kinda weird to have cats named for rock musicians, after all... It'll probably be a harder adjustment for Nash, since Stevie still starts with the same sound that Stills does, but we'll see how it goes. :) It's a bit in limbo right now while we learn their personalities, which are, like any sibling pair, very unique:
Graham/Nash is content to just snuggle in our lap and stare at us through half-closed eyes. He purrs quietly, and rests with great contentment and ease. A picture-perfect cat. Stevie/Stills, meanwhile, must must must be into everything at any time. He has a super-loud purr (reminds me strongly of Midnight), and meows constantly while I pet him. He squirms around and licks my face and meows and purrs and rubs himself into my hands and meows again like he just can't ever get enough (reminds me of Pan). When I played with them earlier, they were both keenly watching the toy, but Stevie was the one who could no longer contain himself and dove after it first. He gobbled down his share of the wet food we gave all 3 cats this evening, then tried to steal from the much slower and neater Graham as well. Without a doubt, Stevie, with his 'Adopt MEEE' personality, is the reason he and his brother went home as soon as they did--they were only out of their foster home and in the shelter for a DAY. Stevie is impetuosity incarnate, a little magnet for attention. Graham is calmness and peace, ready to warm a lap without making a full-scale invasion.
Looks-wise, I see a fascinating combination of Choko and my sweet Ebony. They have extremely long tails, and it's likely their bodies will follow suit, but their faces are much rounder, and closely resemble Ebony's little head. They're already her size, so obviously that won't stay the same, but watching them sleep now, I can almost envision Ebs here in my lap again. *sigh* That is the one hard price to pay when getting cats who are all the same color...But each cat does at some point etch its own place in the heart, regardless of resemblances.
So now we get to deal with cat introductions. Never an easy process. Thankfully we have a door that separates the front area from back area of the house--the living and play space from the kitchen and sleeping spaces--so at least we don't have to try to lock 2 kittens in the bathroom or something miserable like that. Both they and Choko have space to roam a bit. The one downside is the amount of time actually spent in either section of the house is not so equal. My computer, the TV, and the Munch's toys are all in the front area. Choko spent a large portion of this evening by himself, locked away from us. Granted, much of that time, he couldn't have cared less, as he was snoozing happily on our bed. But when he realized that there were new felines on the other side of that door, OH MY! The sounds that came from his throat! I don't know that I've ever heard such shrieks from my boy before. He has definitely gotten a number of treats and love tonight, but it's going to be hard to balance between these guys for the next little while. It's suggested that we give the process as much as 2 weeks. I've never had luck getting this sort of thing to last that long, but we shall see. I do want my 3 boys to get along as much as they can.
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